France and Portugal are set to follow Spain in a crackdown over Brit holiday homes.
The news comes after Spanish Prime Minister said non-resident citizens from countries outside the European Union, including the UK, will face a huge tax bill if they want to buy a home in Spain. Sparking panic among Brits currently looking to retire by the sea in the nation.
And it isn’t just Spain. Those planning to reside in the sunnier climes of Portugal, France or even Greece may also now face more hurdles, reports the Mirror. There have been concerns in Portugal over a shortage of affordable housing and banners waved at protests at cities and towns across the country have read messages, including: “I have to choose between paying for a house or eating.”
France took steps late last year to temper growing frustration over the availability of housing, passing a long-awaited bill to tighten regulations on the short-term tourist rental market. The number of such rentals grew from 300,000 to 1.2 million between 2016 and 2024.
The Greek government was pressed to act last year, announcing a sweeping ban on short-term rental licences in three central districts in Athens due to “a lot of pressure on society”.
Spain cited the demand of affordable housing as the primary reason it is cracking down on second home ownership. It has an ambitious list of policy proposals focused on reforming the construction industry, ensuring affordable rentals and offering incentives to those who follow renting guidelines. This includes an up to 100 per cent tax on properties bought by non-European Union residents, which would include Brits, Mail Online says.
But British buyers have long been receptive to Spain’s offer of luxury villas in the sun for a fraction of the price of what they might pay in the UK. These are not necessarily the “affordable” homes demanded by ordinary working Spaniards, but foreign buyers speculating on property have not helped the sentiment that residents are being short-changed to accommodate overseas investors.
Mr Sánchez said non-residents from outside of the EU bought 27,000 houses and flats in Spain in 2023 alone, “not to live in them, but mainly to speculate”.
And though Greece is a popular destination for British holidaymakers, Athens residents scrawled messages on buildings last summer, venting their anger at the trade. One blunt message read: “Tourists Go Home! Greek State Kills.” Another showed a large building depicting two “Airbnb” towers ablaze, beneath the caption: “Tourists Enjoy Your Stay In The Cemetery Of Europe”.
Furious protesters also took to the streets of the Greek capital to voice their outrage at the rising numbers of tourists flooding their home. Demonstrators chanted: “They are taking our houses while they live in the Maldives” – a reference to wealthier homeowners who advertise their homes on Airbnb.
Anna Theodorakis, a resident who was forced out of her home in Metaxourgio, Athens, told France24 at the time that the situation in the bustling city was becoming “very depressing”.
“I think the answer is to go in the streets and block everything and just not do something because people are losing their homes,” she said. Greece, welcoming 32 million visitors in 2023, has been loathe to relay officials messages turning back foreign guests.
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